Brametot wins QIPCO Prix du Jockey Club

Winner of the Abu Dhabi Poule d’Essai des Poulains (French 2,000 Guineas), French-trained Brametot takes a 2nd French classic by defeating Waldgeist and Recoletos in a fascinating renewal of the QIPCO Prix du Jockey Club (French Derby), Sunday at Chantilly.

Already winner of the Abu Dhabi Poule d’Essai des Poulains (Gr1), the French colt Brametot won the QIPCO Prix du Jockey Club (Gr1), third episode of the second season of the EpiqE Series, on Sunday at Chantilly. Associated to the Italian jockey Cristian Demuro, Brametot, who started slowly like he is used to, still had a lot of lengths to make up over the first ones in the home straight. He came on the outside and passed his rivals one by one to finally win by a short head in front of Waldgeist and Pierre-Charles Boudot on the post. Recoletos and Olivier Peslier complete the podium.

The winning trio is trained in France, since Brametot is trained in Pau by Jean-Claude Rouget, who keeps his title. He had won this race last year with the crack Almanzor.

Waldgeist and Recoletos are both trained in Chantilly, the first one by André Fabre, the second by Carlos Laffon-Parias. And finally, Brametot is owned by Al Shaqab Racing, whom the silks win for the first time this race, and by Gérard Augustin-Normand, winner of this race in 2009 with Le Havre.

Since 2005, when the QIPCO Prix du Jockey-Club came over the distance of 2,100m, only two horses before Brametot had managed to win both ” Poule d’Essai – Prix du Jockey Club “: Shamardal, in 2005, and Lope de Vega, in 2010.

QUOTES

Jean-Claude Rouget, trainer of Brametot (1st)

“This is amazing, amazing ! Like in the Poule d’Essai, we beat an André Fabre trained colt, who is a reference in our job. I nearly did not run this race, but Churchill scared me in the St James’s Palace Stakes. So we tried, but between trying and succeeding, there is a difference! And it is even more wonderful after the virus that affected my barns. We were lucky that neither Brametot nor Mekhtaal were in this barn. The colt will have a rest this summer and we haven’t set any precise objectives for the autumn yet.”

Cristian Demuro, jockey of Brametot (1st)

“I think that he went even faster than La Cressonnière in the home straight! He started of slowly, like he is used to, and I had a hard time following. I was a little caught for speed in the turn, but he finished really strongly. He is a very tough and very strong horse, a true Group 1 horse. He gives me the impression he could hold the 2,400m distance.”

“It is a perfect performance. He runs very solidly and he is beaten by a head. He shows he will be better with more distance. But this was as good as could be. He can improve a lot physically and get stronger and stronger. He needs time to be at his best. He looks the way we breed at Gestüt Ammerland. We have a solid classic distance horses. And that’s what he is. The Irish Derby is a possibility. The Arc is also a possibility. Fortunately in Europe they are a lot classic distance races where that kind of horse can perform. I am a big believer in this colt. “

Carlos Laffon-Parias, entraîneur de Recoletos (3e)

”Recoletos ran very well. He did not start well and was a little keen because they did not go fast. He could not find a back and did a little too much. At this level, when you do a bit too much, you pay for it at the end. We are beaten by a very good horse and the second had done a very good return behind Recoletos. His jockey respected him and had had a real prep race. I thought that Brametot and Waldgeist were the two horses to beat. We will now stop Recoletos for a bit and won’t come back until the Prix Guillaume d’Ornano (Group 2, held in August at Deauville) at the earliest.“